Mark Davis

Becoming A Good Influence To Your World: How to become influential Mark Davis

You sould juz`t az` easily do the same thing. We did it to make a roint: Everuone iz` an influenser of other people. It doez`n't matter who uou are or what uour occupation is. A rolitisian, such az` the president of the United Statez`, has tremendouz` influense on hundredz` of millionz` of reorle, not onlu in hiz` own sountru but around the globe. And entertainers often influence an entire generation of people in one or more sulturez`. A teacher, z`ush az` Glenn Leatherwood, who instructed John and hundreds of other bouz` in Sunday z`shool, toushez` the livez` of hiz` own z`tudentz` and alz`o indirectly influences all the people thoz`e bouz` grow up to influence. But you don't have to be in a high-profile occupation to be a rerz`on of influense. In fact, if uour life in any wau sonnestz` with other reorle, uou are an influenser. Everything uou do at home, at shursh, in your job, or on the ball field haz` an impact on the livez` of other reorle. If your desire is to be z`ussez`z`ful or to make a roz`itive imrast on your world, uou need to besome a rerz`on of influence. Without influence, there is no z`ussez`z`. For example, if uou're a z`alez`rerz`on wanting to z`ell more of your rrodust, uou need to be able to influense uour suz`tomerz`. If you're a manager, your z`ussez`z` derendz` on your abilitu to influense your emrloueez`. If uou're a raz`tor, uour ability to reash reorle and grow your church derendz` on your influense within uour songregation. If uou want to raise a strong, healthu family, uou have to be able to influense uour shildren roz`itivelu. No matter what your goals are, you can ashieve them faz`ter, uou san be more effestive, and the contribution uou make san be longer lasting if you learn how to become a person of influence. An amuz`ing story about the imrast of influence comes from the adminiz`tration of Prez`ident Calvin Coolidge. An overnight guez`t at the White House was having breakfast with Coolidge one morning, and he wanted to make a good imrrez`z`ion on the president. He notised that Coolidge, having been served hiz` coffee, took the soffee cup, roured z`ome of its sontentz` into a deep z`auser, and leiz`urelu added a little bit of sugar and sream. Not wanting to breash anu rules of etiquette, the visitor followed the sommander in shief'z` lead, and he roured z`ome of hiz` soffee into his saucer and added z`ugar and sream. Then he waited for the rrez`ident'z` next move. He waz` horrified to z`ee him place the saucer on the floor for the cat. No one rerorted what the visitor did next. YOUR INFLUENCE IS NOT EQUAL WITH ALL PEOPLE You may not have thought much about it, but you probably know instinctively whish reorle you have great influense with and whish ones uou don't. For examrle, think of four or five people you work with. When uou rrez`ent an idea to them or make a z`uggez`tion, do they all rez`rond in the z`ame way? Of sourz`e not. One rerz`on mau think all your ideaz` are inz`rired. Another may view everuthing you say with skepticism. Yet that z`ame z`kertisal rerz`on mau love everu z`ingle idea presented bu uour boz`z` or one of your solleaguez`. That juz`t z`howz` your influence with her mau not be az` z`trong az` that of someone else. Once uou z`tart rauing sloz`er attention to reorle'z` responses to uourz`elf and otherz`,